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One of the primary concerns for Rafa Benitez this summer is improving Everton’s leaky defence.

The Toffees have been interested in signing Euro 2020 star Denzel Dumfries while Max Aarons is also on their radar.

A mega-money bid for Ben White has even been touted in some circles as Everton look to spend big.

What’s the word?

One of the latest names on the club’s radar is Napoli centre-half Kalidou Koulibaly.

Carlo Ancelotti targeted the Senegalese defender a few months ago as the Italian aimed to bring an elite name to Goodison Park.

However, according to 90min, Benitez has now asked the Everton hierarchy to reunite the pair.

The new Toffees boss worked with Koulibaly during his time in Naples and could now pay around £35m to make him a Toffee.

He was valued at £100m just a few years ago so this would be a bargain deal for Marcel Brands and co.

Forget White

The Brighton defender would undoubtedly be a top-drawer signing.

He is now in the England squad and is one of the most promising young centre-backs in the Premier League.

A ball-playing defender, there is plenty to like about the 23-year-old’s game. However, for a fee potentially rising to £55m, it would be a mind-boggling deal to complete when Koulibaly is available for £20m cheaper.

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Factor in the Napoli star’s experience and this deal instantly becomes more attractive for Benitez.

Described as “extraordinary” by former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, the Senegal international is one of the most feared defenders in world football.

Koulibaly has established himself as a brick wall in Italy, remaining composed in possession of the ball but bullish and aggressive in defensive duels.

Last term, the 30-year-old brute completed 89.1% of his passes and won 73% of his tackles. That’s a remarkably high tally and coincidentally, is also better than White’s statistics.

The England centre-half was successful with 83.2% of his passes and won just 60% of his tackles in comparison.

There is no doubt that White will have an enormous future in the Premier League but with Everton requiring European football in the immediate future, Koulibaly feels better placed to help them achieve their goals.

With a defender like that at the back, it could get Goodison Park rocking again. After all, the Merseyside outfit were hardly a pillar of consistency last term.

The fact that Benitez and Koulibaly have worked together should also play out in their favour. He featured 39 times under the Spanish coach so they should already be familiar with how each other work.

This would be a fabulous deal if Brands can get it over the line. It’s not often you see an elite name penning terms with Everton.

AND in other news, Everton in talks to sign “outstanding” £30m gem, Rafa Benitez needs him…

A major transfer update has emerged which will affect Rangers’ plans to bring one of their targets to Ibrox this month…

What’s the talk?

According to Dutch outlet AD, Gers target Joey Veerman is set to undergo a medical with PSV Eindhoven ahead of a €5.5m (£4.6m) switch from Heerenveen, with the report claiming that they have beaten Feyenoord to his signature.

The Scotsman have also carried a claim from the Netherlands stating that he is due to join PSV for a fee of €6m (£5m), having been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox in the summer.

Last month, journalist Pete O’Rourke touted him as a player who Giovanni van Bronckhorst would look to sign in his first transfer window in charge at the club.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Veerman will definitely be high on the list of targets. They tried to sign him in the summer and he still remains high on their list of potential targets.

“With van Bronckhorst in there now, I think it just gives extra weight in maybe following up that interest in the Dutchman.”

This will infuriate the Gers

Van Bronckhorst is headed for his first disaster in Glasgow, as missing out on a deal for the Dutch midfielder could be a major blow for the club. O’Rourke claimed that he was one of their top targets for the January window and they are now set to watch him sign for another Eredivisie club instead of coming over to Scotland, which could alter their plans in the market.

This news will also surely infuriate Rangers fans as Veerman could have been a superb signing for the Scottish champions. He has proven his quality in the top division of Dutch football in recent years and shown that he can perform consistently to a high level.

Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the midfielder has produced 14 goals and 21 assists in 71 appearances whilst averaging a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.33. This season, he has averaged a rating of 7.32 from the website and provided three goals and six assists in 18 Eredivisie outings.

The 23-year-old could therefore have been an excellent addition to Van Bronckhorst’s side, as he is capable of delivering consistently strong performances whilst chipping in with vital contributions in the final third.

This is why Rangers fans will be infuriated by this news, as the club have allowed PSV to beat them in the race for his services. It also illustrates why this is a disaster for the Gers head coach, as he is missing out on what could have been a quality signing.

AND in other news, Rangers can brutally axe £5.6k-p/w dud if Van Bronckhorst signs beast who’s a “nightmare to mark”…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to be without another player alongside Ruben Dias as they gear up for today’s blockbuster Eastlands clash with arch title rivals Liverpool.

The Lowdown: Huge day…

A single point separates the Sky Blues and Jurgen Klopp’s side in the race for Premier League glory with today’s mouth-watering encounter coming as an absolutely pivotal one.

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City boast the best defensive record in England’s top flight, conceding just 18 goals all season, while their competitors today have bagged the division’s most strikes with 77 (Premier League).

Guardiola and Klopp, with barely anything between their sides, are set to go head-to-head again this afternoon in what could be a real 2021/2022 title race six-pointer.

The Sky Blues grabbed a deserved 2-2 draw at Anfield the last time these teams met, but with a win today, City could take one gigantic leap towards retaining their Premier League crown.

Guardiola will be hampered by the absence of star defender Ruben Dias, and as per the latest team news, he’ll be without another player alongside him at the Etihad Stadium.

The Latest: Pep without Palmer…

As confirmed, City’s head coach won’t be able to call upon electric starlet Cole Palmer today.

The homegrown ace has been sidelined for most of the calendar year, coming as a piece of frustration given his head-turning rise to prominence earlier in the campaign.

Palmer has thoroughly impressed at points but hasn’t been able to contribute lately due to ongoing fitness issues, prompting the Citizens to even consider surgery.

The Verdict: Blow for Pep?

The 19-year-old, CFG’s most exciting academy product since a certain Phil Foden, has been an arguable miss off the bench and City supporters will be hoping he can return to full fitness as soon as possible.

Palmer has attracted huge praise for some of his cameos this season with club legends Paul Dickov and Shaun Wright-Phillips raving over the exciting attacker.

Wright-Phillips in particular, speaking after the talent notched a goal and assist in City’s 4-1 FA Cup third round victory away to Swindon Town, labelled Palmer ‘outstanding’ for his form over the campaign (City’s matchday live show via The Manchester Evening News).

Guardiola could’ve done with the teenager’s obvious talent as an option off the bench, but alas, the Spaniard will be without him yet again as he prepares for Liverpool.

In other news: Man City discussions held as ‘unbelievable’ £33m star decides he wants to join Pep! Find out more here.

Paul Dummett is closing in on a return to action for Newcastle United, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

Dummett is yet to feature for the Magpies this term, having sustained a calf injury in pre-season before he was hit with a ‘setback’ in the latter part of Steve Bruce’s tenure.

He started 14 Premier Leagues games in 2020/21, averaging 4.7 clearances (second in Newcastle’s squad), 2.6 successful aerial duels (fourth overall) and 1.1 tackles (joint-second) per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

The 30-year-old’s £35,000-per-week contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

The latest

Waugh was asked by a fan in a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday what was ‘happening’ with Dummett, and even whether the Welshman could be ‘forced to retire’ – a scenario the player himself had considered following prolonged spells of injury anguish.

The journalist replied: “It has been a frustrating few months for Paul Dummett, who continues to be ravaged by injury problems.

“However, he did return to the grass last week and the indications I’ve received are that he could be in contention for selection within a matter of weeks, if not potentially even days. He suffered a calf problem during pre-season and then unfortunately had a setback during Bruce’s final few weeks, but he is closing in on a return.

“However, given his lack of action in recent months, and how susceptible he is to injuries, it may take him a little bit of time to get fully up to speed.”

The verdict

Mercifully for the struggling Magpies, the injury list is pretty thin at the moment. Dummett and Dwight Gayle are the only fitness-related absentees, and the latter is closing in on a return too (via Premier Injuries).

The Welshman said around this time last year that a prolonged spell on the sidelines had led him to contemplate retirement, so it feels vital that Newcastle manage his reintegration properly to avoid him breaking down again.

In the words of Steve Bruce, he’s a ‘terrific’ player who heads ‘everything’ away when he’s on form. The 30-year-old’ statistics back up his former manager’s comments,

In other news, Newcastle are desperate to sign this midfielder

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is ‘ready’ to accept Aston Villa’s offer to replace Dean Smith at Villa Park.

And he is keen to bring some Ibrox stars with him to the Midlands, according to Hamish Azul of The Economist.

The Lowdown: Gerrard at Rangers…

Gerrard leaped into first-team management when he joined Rangers back in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since.

The 41-year-old, who likes to use an attacking 4-3-3 system, has won 124 of his 192 games as a boss in Scotland, winning the club’s first Premiership title for 10 years last season.

His team are once again top of the table during the current campaign ahead of rivals Celtic, and despite reports previously suggesting that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may have a say in any move to the Midlands, it seems as if Gerrard could be Villa’s new man in charge very soon, with Ashley Preece claiming that Gerrard to Villa is all but done.

The Latest: Azul’s post

On Tuesday afternoon, Azul was one of the first to drop a major update on Gerrard moving south.

He claimed that the Englishman is ‘ready to take up’ Villa’s offer, even hinting that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, had been in touch over a potential switch.

Azul then went on to add that ‘no clause’ will be inserted in a deal stopping Gerrard signing any Gers players, and he is ‘keen’ to act with ‘significant funds’ set to be available.

The Verdict: A new chapter…

Christian Purslow appears to have been key in what appears to be a likely move for Gerrard following their Liverpool connections, and it looks set to be a fresh era at Villa Park under the former Reds midfielder.

Should a move officially go through, you’d expect he’ll know exactly who he would want to bring with him to Villa on a playing front.

Centre-back Connor Goldson, right-back James Tavernier, striker Alfredo Morelos and winger Ryan Kent are some of the players Gerrard has used most as a manager, so perhaps he may look at a few of those to make his mark in the Midlands.

It appears as if he is interested in bringing some players with him, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the winter window, should he take over.

In other news: NSWE now eye ‘outstanding’ boss as Villa alternative for Gerrard; due in UK soon. 

Sunderland fell to a 5-1 defeat to Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon, and a number of Black Cats supporters hit out at captain Aidan McGeady, who was shown a red card at the New York Stadium.

Lee Johnson made two changes from the previous league match against Charlton Atheltic, with Elliot  Embleton and Leon Dajaku coming in for Alex Pritchard and Aiden O’Brien. That meant McGeady kept his place on the wing for his 12th League One appearance of the campaign, but it was one to forget for the Irish veteran.

The 35-year-old received two yellow cards shortly after the interval to leave his team with a mountain to climb, with the hosts 3-1 up at the time.

McGeady was Sunderland’s worst-outfield starter, as per SofaScore, with a match rating of 5.5/10. He failed to have a shot on goal, complete a dribble or make a key pass during his time on the pitch. He also lost possession on six occasions and was beaten in six of his eight duels (75%).

Sunderland fans react

Here is what these Sunderland fans had to say about the Irishman on Twitter, with one labelling him as ‘appalling’ yesterday.

“What an absolute horror show this is, absolutely lost our heads. What is McGeady thinking?! Shocking”

Credit: @xhannahanderson

“McGeady just needs to retire. Been awful this season.”

Credit: @OfficialDPope

“Appalling from McGeady. As an experienced player on a yellow card it is unprofessional and negligent to be flying into challenges like that. Game over now.”

Credit: @StuzMate

“Disgrace from McGeady! Think he wanted sent off there.”

Credit: @mksavage73

“That was brainless from McGeady. He’s a senior pro. He should know better. He’s becoming a bigger issue every week. His role in the team HAS to be refined now.”

Credit: @Philip_RJ89

“McGeady & O’Nien please never play for us again thank you”

Credit: @mattsmith2707

“McGeady…. Finished in my opinion”

Credit: @wdt0_0

In other news: ‘Made my day’ – Lots of Sunderland fans go wild as ‘excellent news’ is confirmed. 

Paddy Kenny has claimed that Amanda Staveley will now be ‘furious’ with the new owners over a development at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Staveley to be snubbed

As per the The Daily Mail, Staveley is set to be snubbed by the new owners in their hunt for someone to take the new chief executive role.

It is claimed that the businesswoman was expected to be handed the position as a reward for her role as the public face of the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Kenny, 43, has claimed that Staveley would be ‘furious’ if she is not given the role:

“Personally, I’d be absolutely livid.

“Obviously, we don’t know all the ins and outs and what’s been promised to her when they made the deal.

“But if she’s been told she’d get the job and now this has happened, she’ll be furious. She has done all the hard work in sorting this takeover out.

“We know how long that took so it could be a proper kick in the teeth if this does end up happening.”

The Verdict: Can still contribute

Even if Staveley is not made the new chief executive at St. James’ Park, she can still contribute to the North East club in other ways.

It was a pleasure for the Toon Army to see her in attendance during their 3-2 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last time out, and the way that she has communicated to the fans during the whole takeover process is already more than what Mike Ashley managed to do during his tenure.

Nonetheless, Staveley will no doubt be a key figure in the new era, and making her the new chief executive would only be a bonus.

In other news, find out what the immediate reaction was from players to Steve Bruce’s sacking here!

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge would have liked to have seen Cristian Romero and Toby Alderweireld play together for Tottenham.

Alderweireld departed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer after six years with Spurs.

The 32-year-old made 236 appearances during his time in north London, scoring nine goals and assisting a further five, before joining Qatari side Al-Duhail for a fee reported to be £13m this summer [The Guardian].

Cristian Romero joined Spurs from Atalanta this summer on a loan with the option to buy for £42.5m [Alasdair Gold]. The defender was named Best Defender in Serie A last season after making 42 appearances for Atalanta, scoring three goals and providing five assists, and he helped the club to a third-place finish Serie A.

But Bridge wanted to see Alderweireld and Romero play together in Spurs shirts, feeling the latter could have done with the former’s experience.

He told Football FanCast: “Romero, top-class centre-half, but he might need a bit of experience in the Premier League and if he’s got Toby with him, that’s what I wanted to see but I suppose it was a pretty good fee and good wage for Toby.”

Spurs got their Premier League campaign off to a brilliant start and kept a clean sheet, beating Manchester City 1-0 last weekend.

Leeds United are plotting to add to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad in the January transfer window, according to a report from Eurosport.

The Lowdown: Takeover news

News emerged earlier in the week that the San Francisco 49ers have an option until January 2024 to purchase the club in a deal worth more than £400m.

49ers Enterprises currently have a 44% stake at Elland Road after first investing back in 2018, with Andrea Radrizzani still holding the majority share.

Ahead of the January window and reported injury blows to Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper, it seems as if the NFL franchise and Radrizzani will look to make some signings in the New Year.

The Latest: Insiders claim

Eurosport shared a story on Tuesday lunchtime regarding Leeds’ January plans.

‘Insiders’ have suggested that although a January budget may not be huge, and therefore options could be limited, the club will look to invest with hopes of not being dragged into a relegation battle for the second half of the season.

The Verdict: Wise move

Bielsa likes to run with a small squad at the best of times, but Leeds’ ongoing injury woes have had an impact in Yorkshire. It seems as if Phillips and Cooper could be the latest absentees at Elland Road, so you’d like to think the club would look to bring in a central midfielder in January.

Leeds have just four out-and-out senior central midfielders on the books, with Phillips being one, so bringing in another option in that role could now be a priority.

It’s good to see that Radrizzani and the 49ers are willing to invest, though, leaving Bielsa and Victor Orta to draw up a list over the coming weeks as they look to add quality to the squad in the New Year.

In other news: Leeds receive boost in quest to sign 13-cap beast who’s been hailed as a “young star”

Sharing the latest on attacking midfield target Jesse Lingard, Sky Sports have lifted the lid on a transfer belief that West Ham United have involving the player.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Lingard…

The Manchester United ace has been heavily linked with a move to east London since the summer transfer window first opened, with club insider Claret & Hugh once claiming that it was among David Moyes’ top priorities.

However, in recent weeks, the likelihood of securing Lingard on a permanent deal after his impressive 2020/21 loan stint has looked increasingly unlikely.

The Latest: Sky Sports lift lid on West Ham belief…

As per Sky Sports, sharing the latest on Lingard and West Ham, this doesn’t look like changing any time soon.

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They say that West Ham themselves now ‘believe’ they only have a ’10 per cent chance’ of re-signing the £100,000-per-week England international for 2021/22.

Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated that Lingard is in his plans and the 28-year-old is current rated at around £30m, leaving Moyes and West Ham with little hope of bringing him back to east London.

The Verdict: Move on…

It is no secret that the 28-year-old enjoyed a fantastic half-season loan spell at the London Stadium, and a permanent deal would have been a brilliant piece of business for the Irons.

Lauded as a ‘phenomenal’ player by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham, the midfield maestro bagged an impressive nine goals and four assists in 16 Premier League starts in east London (WhoScored).

However, with the transfer window deadline now fast approaching, West Ham cannot afford to dither and must simply move on, ideally to try and secure West Bromwich Albion star Matheus Pereira as a sound alternative.

In other news: ‘As of now’…Journalist says ‘really exciting’ 54-goal player close to signing for West Ham, find out more here.